Checkmate
by pinksugarrush
Summary: Kyo gets kidnapped and takes it to his advantage. Kyo strikes a deal with his kidnapper and molds his own pawn. Some pawns are scarified for the sake of others. Question is, who's pawns are left standing in the end. It seems that Kyo's kidnapper is not the only one that knows how to play. After all, it takes two to play chess.
1. Chapter 1 Sicilian Defence

Chapter 1. Sicilian Defence 

A pinkish hue was running down the length of his pants. He grunted in disgust as he stood up and pulled up his flyer. The pounding rain was ruining his mood, but he wouldn't complain for it was aiding in cleaning up his mess tonight. He looked down and watched as the rain continued to dilute the red substance that was staining the cold, cement. It didn't take long for the tainted water to congregate, slip into the rest of the runoff, and down a nearby drain. Good.

A sound of a distant car knocked him out of his reverie.

He sighed as he dragged his steel eyes back to the dead women that lay splayed across the dark alley. Her body was nude, her legs were parted, and her head was bleeding. Her golden locks were now a pretty bronze with a slight tinge of orange. Even in death, she was a beauty. It was quite tragic, really. She could have become something meaningful if only she would have listened and shut her damn mouth when he had told her to. All her screaming and sobbing had disturbed his libido greatly and that was not something he wanted once he had started his pleasurable ministration.

"Stupid whore, you had it coming."

Yawning, he accessed that the drainage was running it course to completion. His car was close. He could dump her in there for the time being. Once he had moved her in the car, he went back to the ally to finish his business. As his boots crunched under glass, he couldn't help but think about one thing that he was grateful for about dead alleys. He dropped expired food onto the ground and watched as rat came to gather in clusters. And that was that they were congested with rodents, more specifically hungry rats. He picked up a fat one by its tail and, just for humor's sake, he watched it struggle in the suspended air for moments.

"Don't worry," he stopped in front of the area where his 'victim' had previously laid and pulled out a pocket knife. "You'll be doing a good deed."

With a quick slice, he gutted it. For such a small creature, it supplied a sufficient amount of blood for his mess. His rodent kin should be grateful. It didn't take long before all of its blood mixed with the remaining blood of his victim.

"Your endeavor are well appreciated, rodent." His words belied his next actions; he dropped the rat from his standing position without care and turned to his waiting love in the car. As he walked back, he heard the scurrying of little feet. The other rats are probably going to eat him. _After you saved them all from me, this is what you get. Animals and humans, they're all the same. Heartless bastards. _He smirked.

He got into the car and buckled himself in. He turned to the passenger's seat and her dead eyes stared back at him. He cleaned his hand on her reddening blouse before turning back to face her glazed eyes. He smiled at her while tucking back a defiant strand of her hair. His hand came back slick with blood.

"Now, how about I take you somewhere so you can rest, Love?"

* * *

Kyo groaned as he sat up from his bed. His head was pulsating, his breathing was quick and shallow, and he lacked vigor in his being. Though his mind was slugged due to his condition, it didn't take him long to figure out why he was so disposed – it was raining, heavily.

"Stupid rain," he grumbled as he got up. Maybe he could ask Tohru to make him some tea, it would relax his mind. With that in mind, he trudged down the stairs. All the way down, he was glad that Yuki was stuck in Student Council until late for he wasn't in the mood to argue with Yuki.

He was surprised to be greeted with an empty kitchen. _Where's Tohru? _

He moved to sit down on the kitchen table. He drummed his hands steadily as he crossed out the possibility of where Tohru could be. It wasn't long before he was interrupted by a shrill and girlish voice.

"Oh, what's this?" Shigure trilled dramatically from the doorway. "Kyo-chan is finally awake, I see. While you were taking your catnap, everybody else was slaving away doing work."

"Shut up, Shigure." Kyo looked at the clock. Tohru was still at work then. The darkened sky outside had made the day so much later than what it truly was. Kyo grew slightly annoyed as he figured that Yuki was going to be home soon.

Shigure waved his hand in front of Kyo's face causing him to snap at him.

"Stop, dammit." Kyo swatted his hand away.

"What were you thinking about, Kyo? Were you thinking dirty thoughts?" Shigure giggled at the prospected reaction.

"I'm not like you, you perverted dog!" Kyo got up and got ready to storm up to his room. Dreadfully, he was halted by Shigure again.

"Oh, good, now that you're up, you can pick up our Little Flower."

Kyo spun around only to find Shigure sipping his tea contently. On any other day, he wouldn't mind picking up Tohru, but the weather outside was not in his favor today. "You do it! It's raining!"

Shigure looked horrified at the suggestion. "Why, I would love too! But my manuscript awaits me!" he declared loudly then he proceeded to sprawl his torso across the table. "And I am so tired."

"Doing what?" Kyo snapped back just as quickly.

"My writing, of course! I can't disappoint Mitchan." Shigure grinned up at him.

"Writing smut doesn't take much effort especially from a pervert like yourself." Kyo grumbled. He knew that he had long lost the game before he started it. Talking to Shigure only made him more exhausted. _Why do I even bother?_

"Besides, if something happens, you can protect her! A lot of bad things happen at night!"

"What are you talking about?" Kyo crossed his arm against his chest and leaned against the wall.

"Oh, Kyo,"Shigure grinned at him. "You need to keep up with what's going around you." Before Kyo could refute to the obvious, condescending words, Shigure continued. "A couple months ago, a girl was raped and then murdered when she was walking home from work."

Kyo instantly tensed. "Did they find the killer?"

"They did!"Shigure replied happily as he placed his hand on his bosom and sighed. "Isn't it a relief? To have him locked up?" Shigure then leaned forward, his usual childish demeanor becoming slated from the room. "But you never know how many more perverts are lurking around in the dark."

There was a pregnant pause of digestion before it was rudely broken by Shigure's childish giggles. "So, you see, Kyo, that's why you must pick up our Little Flower! So such a horrific tragedy won't bestride her as well."

By Shigure's childish chortles, Kyo couldn't tell if Shigure had made the whole deal up or not and for that reason he found himself irked. Playing mind games and listening to fallacies was not something he embraced well. He turned to the door. Kyo slipped on his jacket and grabbed his umbrella on his way out.

"Bring our Flower home safely, Kyo!"

Kyo gave a non-committed grunt before the door was slammed shut.

Shigure hummed to himself as he swirled his cup of tea at a leisured pace. Today had been nice. He had gotten his manuscript done even though he told Kyo otherwise and had even passed a few words with Hatori before the line had been rudely disconnected. How could the day get any better?

As he brought his tea to his lips, he felt the house tremor though it was so subtle that he wasn't sure if it was his imagination. It wasn't long that his thoughts were confirmed when he heard a notifying howl from outside.

He stood up from his seat and crossed the kitchen. He looked through the window, and right to the cur's words, there truly was a tree that lay trodden in the midst of the foliage.

Shigure found his eyebrows arching as he realized that the tree was quite young; it was usually the old and brittle who bowed during the destruction of the storm. How odd. What could have caused only that lone tree to fall and not have any other counterparts to fall with it? Odd, indeed.

There was a distant sound of phone ringing and Shigure quickly went to retrieve it, the young tree now a distant memory.

"Oh, Aaya! Today was just brilliant! Guess who I talked to today!"

* * *

The wrapping crinkled as it was placed next to newly thread tombstone. Water drizzled down heavily, wetting the flowers and giving them a slightly tumescent aura of life. It was the only thing that looked alive in this whole pathetic excuse of a cemetery.

"I miss you." Digits traced the carving of the stone. Mud was slipping into his pants and his body sunk just a little lower into the ground. He was sinking. He pulled his hand back and his brow furrowed in anger. "I won't forgive him for hurting you. He violated you and led you to your death. Don't worry, I'll set things right."

He stood up causing some of the mud to rush down, but the majority clung on vigorously. "Enjoy the flowers. I will come back again."

He threw his hood back on. It was late, it was raining, and he was tired. He kept close to the shadows as he walked home; it was a habit that bred into him after a few short months of loneliness and resentment and with it came the machinating will.

But his scheming was halted when he heard the soft sound of a curse. He looked up to see a boy with bright orange hair that was obviously making an effort to just steady his umbrella in his arm. The boy was tottering about with his hand braced against the building's walls while he panted heavily. The sight of the boy gave him slight hope. He looked around and found that the streets were completely desolate of everything except him and the boy.

_Don't worry, I'll set things right. _

He fisted his hands and tightened his resolve. It was either now or never. He quickly crossed the streets and found himself behind the boy. The last thing that drowned into his mind as he fingered the chloroform that sat in his pocket was that vendetta was looking sweet.

* * *

"Stupid Shigure." Kyo stomped across the street as straight as possible. "This is all his fault."

He had only been walking for ten minutes and his pants were already wet. Setting that aside, it was even worse that his vision was starting to swim and his umbrella was starting to feel heavier than it really was.

He halted as a coughing fit overcame him. He managed to hold his umbrella suspended above himself as he kneeled slightly over. He was too focused on catching his breath that he was wholly taken off-guard when he felt a hand clamp over his mouth. He immediately dropped his umbrella is his panic, wetting both him and his sudden assailant. Thinking as quickly as possible, he vainly tried to elbow his oppressor. Before he knew it, he was being pushed into a wall, with every single of his limbs somehow locked. It didn't take him long to notice that he was inhaling chloroform – he wasn't going to last. As his knees buckled under him, and his eyes droop shut, he heard something that he wouldn't think he would ever hear from his attacker.

"I'm sorry."

* * *

A/N: My Beta hasn't beated this yet but I have gotten a message from her where she stated that she will be free very soon and thus she can check my work! Isn't that great?

Anyway, I must make this quick before my mother catches me.

Please R&R. Reviews inspire me and make me happy. No flames please.

4/13/13


	2. Chapter 2 Holding Out For a Hero

Chapter 2. Holding Out For a Hero

The glass shattered within his shaking hold. How many has it been? The fourth the fifth? He didn't know but he knew that he really should stop breaking them for he was already on a low budget. A haggard breath escaped his chapped lips; they cracked and bled from the action, but he didn't mind. What he did mind though was the unconscious teen that was bounded tightly against the steel chair – courtesy of him, of course.

A yellow light bulb swung across the little room from its mighty, stringy frame. It was the only light source in the room and yet it filled the room with great length, only allowing some remote corners to be hugged by the shadows. That was where he stood- in a corner- as he clanked a severed shard of glass against the walls. The melody that produced from the shard and the wall somehow calmed his nerves and kept his mind occupied and, most importantly, it was consistent. He liked consistency and when his consistency was broken, he would go to great lengths to bring it back or destroy the source that broke it.

With each clank, the shard dug deeper into the skin of his thumb, but he paid it no heed. He was already soiled on the outside so it wouldn't matter if his insides were invaded by vile fiends either. Besides, the pain and the echoed drips of his blood hitting the pavement, kept his mind sharp, awake, and lucid.

"Wake up, dammit." He called hoarsely from the shades. There was no reply from the other occupant, not even a stir or a crease in brow. His mouth pressed into a thin line of annoyance and maybe a hint of worry. He didn't overdose him, did he? No, he couldn't have. He didn't need to squint to see the rise and fall of the teen's chest and he was, at least, a good eight feet away. So he didn't overdose him, but he still probably gave him a hefty amount if he was still knocked out after four hours.

He uncrossed his legs and placed the glass that he had been tapping with on a nearby desk. He needed something to dampen his nerves-something very strong and fast acting. He left up the stairs and came back not too later with a large flask of absinthe in his hand. Yes, he had class when it came to his liquor and he knew it. Out of all the products, this one had the most caveats in the liquor trade and that's how he liked it. He took his risk and didn't mind any of the consequences.

Thirty minutes had faded and so had one third of the bottle's content when he felt vertigo slightly hitting him and a piece of his lucid mind dissipated. That was fine though, he still had enough intact. "Are you awake yet, kid?"

Still no reply.

Gritting his teeth in annoyance, he flung the drink against another corner before quickly crossing toward his prisoner.

"Wake up! I'm tired of waiting!" Without much thought, he grabbed the teen's shoulders roughly and shook him with so much force that the chair screeched backward. Still nothing. "Dammit it all, what's wrong with you?"

The only sounds were Katsu's heavy breathing. He sighed, feeling depleted. His voice became soft as he gave a closer look at his prisoner. He was pale, his breathing was strained, and he felt quite cold. Katsu frowned as he raised wary fingers to his prisoner's forehead.

"Don't tell me you're sick…" He gently brushed a couple of strands away. His dreaded predicament was settled and confirmed. His prisoner was sick. "You're sick just like Michi."

_Was. _

The word echoed in his head like a taunt and he found himself pulling away from the teen roughly. He snarled at his own plagued conscious before taking a few successive steps back; he distanced himself and joined the shadows. For a while, he avoided eye contact with the prisoner but eventually he found his eyes and mind back on the boy.

"Why did you have to be fucking sick?" His voice became soft almost as if he was afraid of disturbing the teen's placed sleep. There was no malice in his words just a daunting question that was left unanswered.

There were a faint gasp for air and a slight convulsion from the strapped body before falling back to its labored breathing. Feeling sorry for the teen who was obviously suffering, he approached again.

"You weren't supposed to be sick."

He cursed slightly before undoing the ropes. The teen's body fell forward without the hold and he quickly caught him. He didn't know why he did the said action, he could have let him fall and hit the cold pavement but that would be so… heartless.

He picked the boy up and placed him on the bed that he hadn't used for years. He brushed the boy's bangs back gently and was slightly surprised at how soft it was. _Soft just like Michi's._ He sighed as he brought down a wet towel and placed it on the boy's brow. As he stared at him, he found himself slightly clouded with nostalgia.

_Don't worry, I'll set things right._

"You weren't supposed to be sick."

* * *

Shigure crumpled another ball of paper up before throwing it in the corner with its other crumpled counterparts. Shigure just couldn't focus and, for once, it was not because his muse was being battered away by the loudness of the rat and cat's destructive and loud nature, no, it was being suffocated by a worried spirit.

Tohru had come home safely but she came home alone. There was no annoyed Kyo in her arm and none at her side. And then Yuki came home, and he hadn't dragged in an unconscious and weathered-tolled Kyo at the collar either. No, the only thing that he dragged in was his wet backpack full of class president paperwork.

Tohru had drowned herself in worry when she realized that Kyo was missing. By the looks of it, Tohru was not the only one who was slightly worried, if the tightening over Yuki's silver fork wasn't a sure sign of it. Tohru had suggested a search party but it was quickly shot down in the current weather. In the end, Shigure had ushered the two youngsters to bed and assured them, as best as he could, that Kyo would come home tomorrow.

''He's probably waiting out the rain in one of the stores." Was the final thing he told them when he steered a crying and sniffing Tohru and a distraught Yuki up the stairs.

That was four hours ago. It was already three in the morning. The rain had tired and dimmed into a small yawn of drizzles hours ago. Even the tea that he had brewed almost an hour ago wasn't dancing with a mist of heat on its surface; it was cold to the touch just like his being. And yet, still so sign of his fury cousin.

"Where are you, Kyo?" Shigure leaned back and rubbed his eyes. His vain attempt on starting a new manuscript early lay forgotten. He was tired.

"Shigure," Shigure looked up sharply, and was almost relieved as he thought the voice belonged to the source of all his worry. He was disappointed but was surprised when he saw Yuki standing at his door. _When did he open the door?_

"Yuki," Shigure pulled the frame of his glasses off and put them neatly on the side of desk. "What are you doing up?"

"Let's go search for the stupid cat." He angled his head toward the window. "It's not raining anymore."

In actuality, it was still drizzling, but Shigure didn't have the heart to correct him. He also had a feeling that Yuki already knew.

"Yuki, were you awake this whole time?" A small smile came to the novelist's mouth.

Yuki turned around, obviously ignoring the question. "I'll leave a note in the kitchen telling Ms. Honda that we went out."

As Shigure watched Yuki shrug on his jacket, he just hoped that the heavy rain did not wash away all of the traces of Kyo away.

"Ready?" Yuki turned to look at him, a determined look on his face.

"Of course, Yuki-chan!" Shigure sang happily. Yuki rolled his eyes as he pushed the door open and opened his umbrella.

They left together, in search of their cat.

* * *

He really shouldn't be doing this, after all, kidnappers were supposed to be threatening their prisoners, not caring for them like a doctor.

"This is your entire fault, you know." He changed the dry towel with another one. "You weren't supposed to be sick."

Maybe it was all that absinthe that was messing up his rationality. Maybe some more would turn him into a violent oppressor-that's what he should be. Just when he was about to stand up and grab the flask of absinthe that had laid on the floor forgotten, a grip on his coat jacket held him in place. He turned back and was surprised to see red eyes staring back at him; though glazed with fever, his eyes held strength and determination and an odd lack of fear.

Katsu didn't know why, but he didn't pull away from the weak hold. No, he let him hold onto him like a shaky lifeline.

He stayed silent. He would be considerate and let him speak first.

"Who are you?" His throat was scratchy from disuse. While still maintaining one hold on his capturer's coat, Kyo brought another to his throat and massaged it.

Katsu had thought briefly that he should probably give the boy some water but quickly dismissed it while reminding himself that he was his kidnapper not his caretaker.

"Your kidnapper."

Kyo blinked back at him. His hold on Katsu jacket loosened until his hand fell like dead weight back onto the dingy bed's surface. "My kidnapper?"

"Yes." Despite not having any threats from the boy, he took a step back. Then Katsu's brows arched in confusion when Kyo started laughing.

Once again, in a span of two hours, he took a step out of the shadows and toward the boy. The laugh sounded so alive.

_He sounds like Michi._

* * *

When Kyo awoke, he already knew that he was not in his room; the bed was too hard to be his and whoever was touching him, had hands that were too calloused for any Sohma. And then there was that gruff and almost solemn sounding voice.

"You weren't supposed to be sick."

Kyo frowned. He wanted to tell him that it wasn't his fault that he got weak when it rained but didn't have the strength too. He felt his bed shift beneath him as he opened his eyes. He blinked back blurrily when a yellow light invaded his weak eyes.

His eyes traveled the degrees of the ceiling before it was distracted by a sight of a body sitting right next to him. Whoever was sitting next to him certainly was unaware of his current condition. Kyo tilted his head and was surprised when he felt a white towel slip down from his forehead.

_He took care of me. _

On impulse, Kyo caught the fleeting man by the hem of his jacket. He didn't know why he did that. If he was being smarter, he should have attacked the man and demanded why he took him off the streets and yet he didn't do anything that was short of logical. Maybe it was the way his hunched form sat in front of him that spelled misery or maybe it was his voice that sounded so regretful.

Kyo was surprised when he was met with the grayest pair of eyes he had ever seen- it was quite beautiful actually. The man stood slightly taller than Hatori. He was probably twenty-five with gold color hair that had lost its shine from disregard.

Kyo found himself shrinking slightly within himself. He knew that he was being observed and calculated just like the man was being by him. Even under those eyes, Kyo held strong and met his gaze.

"Who are you?" Kyo winced, his throat was stinging him.

"Your kidnapper."

"My kidnapper?" The word swung back and forth in his head like a pendulum. He was vaguely aware of his grip loosening on the jacket as Akito's taunting words came back to him.

_Nobody would want a monster like you. You're nothing but a filthy, disgusting creature, but I will keep you, Kyo, because I am your god. So, be a good monster and wait for me when I take you back to my side forever._

At first, his breathing was slightly hurried but it didn't take long for it to escalate into something more vocal and harsh. It took him awhile to notice that he was laughing -laughing at how wrong Akito was. Evidently, somebody else had wanted him even if it was for their own inner motives. At the moment, he wasn't worried about his self being, no, all that occupied his mind was that he proved Akito wrong.

As his laughed dimmed, he turned to his kidnapper. He was smirking at his assailant and he was slightly surprised to have received a mocked look of something that was slightly shy of a smile from him.

Maybe they could use each other.

* * *

A/N: First off, I would like to thank those who reviewed, followed, and favorited. I have to say, I was slightly saddened that none of my followers reviewed for my story. Now, I know that some of my followers are authors too, so I know that you know that slightly irked and disappointed feeling when people follow/favorite but don't review. Of course, I'm not going to be dramatic and ask for you to review for every single chapter, but one review every now and then would be nice.

Don't get me wrong though! I am absolutely thrilled that you followed my story and I hope I didn't discourage anybody from following/favoriting my story by stating this. I'm not angry or anything just slightly saddened. But that, my friends, can be quickly amended with a small review – doesn't have to be grand and lengthy or anything just something small is fine.

Okay, so putting that little tragic monologue aside…

I hope you enjoyed this story! I'm sorry if the pace is slightly slow. I promise it will pick up.

Also, I have a tendency to vent in my writing. So, if you saw my writing was slightly turbulent in the beginning and started to calm more toward the end, well that's why. See? Writing is good! It helps me vent all me emotions. Now I am in a state of happy equilibrium.

I have to ask, does anybody actually read the A/N? I always do but I'm not sure about anybody else.

Please R&R. Reviews inspire me, make me happy, and make me update faster. No flames please. Critiques are always welcomed with open arms.

4/21/2013


	3. Chapter 3 Alapin Variation

I just realized that I forgot to place the disclaimer. This will override to the two previous chapters too then.

Disclaimer- I do not own Fruits Basket, Natsuki Takaya does. Enjoy!

Chapter 3. Alapin Variation 

Sitting up, his smile faded from his face as he fully processed his condition but there was still evidence of his recent exercise through a ragged breath.

"Tell me," his kidnapper started. "What are you laughing about?"

Kyo snorted; something that he probably shouldn't be doing considering his deadlock. But even with that knowing, Kyo felt as if he was placed in safe hands. The white cloth against his makeshift bed was validation enough for him. _He won't hurt me._

"It's none of your business." Just to settle his belief, he added. "Kidnapper."

Katsu stayed stagnant however an amused chuckle escaped his lips.

Kyo was right. Words that should have received him a fatal blow of malicious annoyance was only turned around and returned with a chuckle. Subjects regarding punishments from misworded placements were something Kyo knew well. He was Akito's pet, after all.

Kyo was never good when it came to reading people, but he somehow knew that this man was a good man.

"Very well then." The civilness was slightly odd considering the character that he was supposed to be dancing. His regal voice spelled a man of books not a man of guns.

"Why did you kidnap me?" Despite the words content, the inquiry was not riddled with accusation or terror. It was spoken with such normalcy and with such a tranquil tone that he could have been asking about the weather. Absentmindedly, Kyo picked up the white cloth and pulled at one of the lose strings. _Why do I feel so calm?_

"Your kidnapping was a mistake." Kyo's question was bluntly evaded. Katsu eyed the cloth in Kyo's hand. "You weren't supposed to be sick."

At those words, Kyo's heart sank. He should be happy of a possible release after hearing the news that this was all some big gaffe, but all he could think about were Akito's words. What was he going to do now? What did this prove then? Even a kidnapper didn't want him…

_Nobody would want a monster like you. _

Kyo felt his rage boil and, in consequence, he lashed out. Standing up, Kyo threw the white cloth on the ground, and growled.

"What do you mean my kidnapping was a mistake?"

To say the least, Katsu was slightly surprised at the outburst. Well, 'slightly surprised' was an understatement. Shouldn't the teen by happy? Or maybe his fever was making him too incoherent to comprehend lucid and a should be happy statement. He didn't move as Kyo made his way toward him in an angry torrent.

"Do you think it's funny to mess with me?" Kyo's eyes narrowed at him as he panted heavily. "You're just like that bastard Akito!"

Before another successive insult could be said, Kyo found vertigo hitting him quickly. His head was spinning with such passion that his already unstable legs buckled underneath him. Instead of falling to the ground unceremoniously, like he was expecting, he was caught by strong, capable arms.

"Dammit, Michi!" There was definitely an underling tone in his language. "Didn't I tell you to not be so hotheaded when you're sick?"

Without meaning too, Kyo's grip on Katsu's forearm tightened as he tried to right himself. _Did he just call me Michi? _

Kyo tried to look up at him but he found his vision distorted and blurred by the haste movement. He was suddenly looking up at the ceiling as he was carried and then quickly deposited back on to the bed.

"Why don't you ever listen to me?" Katsu asked gruffly. Kyo remained silent as he watched Katsu quickly wash the towel that Kyo had previously thrown before gently settling it onto Kyo's brow. He was like in some trance. Katsu quickly got back up and ransacked a nearby drawer for something.

"Who's Michi?"

Katsu turned to him. "Don't be stupid, Michi! I swear you-"

Katsu quickly cut himself off as reality came back to him. He stared back at confused, crimson eyes. He had forgotten himself. Michi was not this boy. This boy was just some boy he swiped off the streets.

After all, Michi was dead.

He swallowed harshly as the dreaded question was asked again.

"Who's Michi?"

* * *

"Any luck, Shigure?" Yuki pulled his coat as tight as possible. The drizzled had finally stopped, but now they were facing Mother Nature's frigid winds.

Shigure stood up from his kneeled position. "I can't smell him anywhere."

Shigure frowned. His canine allies had tried to help in their seemingly futile search but all the rain had washed away all the scent and muddled their keen noses. They've been on a rampant search for hours. Finding Kyo seemed distant which did not settle well with any of the exhausted Sohma men.

Having one ally already snuffed out, Yuki had turned to his rats. Progression was slow on his side though. All the heavy flooding had almost dissuaded the little rats majorly if not entirely from the urgent request.

"What are we going to do?" Yuki looked over at Shigure.

Shigure was slightly surprised at how desperate Yuki sounded. He couldn't wait to tell Kyo that his thought to be nemesis was worried about him. _If we find him_, Shigure thought grimly. Shigure looked into the darkened sky. It was going to be morning soon. They should probably get back before Tohru notices their absence.

"Let's go home for now, Yuki." Shigure took a step toward their previous path. "We will continue our search tomorrow. I'll call Hatori and the others later if we can't find him."

"Once more." Yuki whispered.

Shigure turned back to him. "What?"

"Let's go check the pathway to Miss Honda's work place again."

"Yuki," Shigure exhaled heavily, he was too exhausted from the emotional and physical toil to argue. "We've checked there five times."

"I know." Yuki grounded out, annoyed. "But I feel like we missed something."

Shigure dragged a languid hand down his face at Yuki's words.

"Shigure, please." Yuki's grip on the umbrella tightened when there was a pause. "I'll go by myself then."

"At least let me catch my breath before we start again." Shigure whined as he hobbled over to Yuki and tossed his arm over his shoulder in a friendly manner.

"Don't touch me." Yuki glared but Shigure continued to smile. "Come on."

"You're so cruel, Yuki."

Yuki ignored the comment and continued to trudge forth without falter with only one mission in mind:

Find the stupid cat.

* * *

"Who's Michi?"

Katsu's jaw clenched. He didn't know why but for some reason he wanted to tell the boy. He wanted to tell somebody about the machinate he concocted. Though, at the moment, it was quite feeble like a deck of cards. He was tired of holding it all in though.

He turned around.

"Hey!" Kyo called, obviously offended at being ignored. Propping himself up with his elbow, Kyo yelled again.

"Calm down." He repeated quietly. He took the chair that Kyo had previously been strapped to and pulled it toward the bed. He straddled it backwards and let his chest sag across the back of the chair's steel frame. This was going to take a while.

Kyo looked up at him expectantly. Katsu would have laughed if he was a man that was prone to laughing which he wasn't. Just moments ago, Kyo wanted to kill him but now his curiosity had placed that intent aside for the time being. _He's curious like a cat._

"There was a reported rape in the newspaper three months ago. Did you hear about that?" He couldn't believe he was giving in so easily. He was just going to wash everything out and tell this kid that he barely knew.

"Rape?" Kyo echoed the word to himself. It didn't take long before the events to click as he recalled the scene with Shigure in the kitchen. _So, the stupid dog wasn't lying after all. _

Then it connected. "Was she your girlfriend?"

Katsu gave him a look. "What? No, we-"

"Your sister?"

"No, dammit!" The teen's impatient-ness and jumpy conclusion was another characteristic that he had in common with Michi.

"Then what?" Kyo bristled.

"We have no relations."

"Then what's the point in mentioning the rape?" Kyo felt like he was talking to that rat. His nerves were starting to become aggravated.

"Michi is my little brother. Michio Anzai."

"Michio Anzai?" Kyo gasped. "That was the name of the rapist on the newspaper."

He was talking to the sibling of a rapist. Maybe his intuition of this man being safe was slightly farfetched.

"My brother is no rapist!" Katsu snarled as he stood up so quickly that the chair toppled over. Kyo flinched from the loud clatter. "That girl's dead body was dumped in his car and he was accused."

Kyo stayed silent, not knowing what to say.

"I know who the real killer is." Katsu gave Kyo a deadly look that almost dared him to defy his claims of truth. He leaned in, his hair brushing his eyes. "Katashi Igarashi."

The last name was quite familiar but Kyo wasn't too sure where he heard it. The spark of recognition must have showed on his face since Katsu grinned.

"That's right. Katashi is the nephew of Yoshio Igarashi. The damn judge that trialed my brother to cover up for his pathetic nephew!"

"Your brother, is he…" Kyo fumbled with his words awkwardly. With the mention of his brother, Katsu's rage softened and fabricated into grief.

"He's dead." He said it without a variance or a break in his tone. It was a fact that he knew well and even admitted to himself. He wasn't a delusional man, no, he was a man that held a purpose. "He was killed in prison."

"I don't know what I was thinking when I kidnaped you." Katsu bent down and righted the chair but he remained standing.

Deep down in his heart, Katsu knew what he tried to do was wrong. He didn't want to hurt anyone. All he wanted was to revenge his brother. But hurting the kid that sat in front of him was too much for him. He reminded him of Michio and he couldn't possibly hurt Michio.

* * *

They haven't found anything. Yuki bit his lip. He could have sworn that they would have seen something if they came here again. Some inner force had told him to come here again and yet, here he was, cold, tired, and empty-handed.

Shigure leaned on the building. "I don't see anything, Yuki."

"Me either." Yuki shook his head. "Let's just go home."

Shigure slid his frigid hands in the sleeve of his kimono as Yuki joined his side. "Don't worry. I'm pretty sure we'll find Kyo tomorrow."

After fifteen minutes of unremitted silence, Shigure unexpectedly halted as his keen eyes spotted something in a desolate alleyway. His nose was tickling as well.

Yuki bumped into Shigure. "Shigure?"

Instead of answering, Shigure walked into the depths of the alleyway and stopped at a half covered trashcan. He picked up the lid and dropped it with a clatter. Yuki saw Shigure's eyes widen.

"Shigure? What is it?" Kyo's body wasn't in there was it?

Yuki was about to yell at Shigure but was stopped when Shigure's shaky hands reached into the caverns of the trash and produce something thin. Yuki was relieved that Shigure wasn't pulling severed parts of Kyo out of the trashcan.

In Shigure's hold was a blue umbrella. Kyo's umbrella.

"It's Kyo's."

"Are you sure?" Yuki wanted him to say no but he already knew the answer.

"Yes." It reeks of Kyo and something dreadful.

If it couldn't get any worse, Yuki spotted a white cloth on the ground at the base of the trashcan. Yuki picked it up. It was wet but the odor that clung to it was still visibly present. It smelled of something that Yuki couldn't exactly place- at least, not for a couple of seconds.

"Yuki," Shigure stared at the cloth in Yuki's hand. It was the source that had irritated his nose earlier. "Is that…"

Yuki nodded his head. "It's chloroform."

* * *

"I'll release you." Katsu said with finality.

"What?"

"I didn't want to kidnap you." Katsu picked up a shard of glass that had fallen earlier. "It was all a mistake. I don't want to hurt you."

"You never answered my question. Why did you kidnap me?"

"It doesn't matter. I'm going to release you to your family tomorrow." Katsu looked aside.

"Tell me why you did it!" Kyo wanted something; something to rectify his already injured mind and soul.

"I needed to get into jail." Katsu turned to stare at him. "Katashi got placed into jail after another kill. His uncle couldn't cover for him since there was a witness. I needed to do something big enough that will get me into the same jail as him."

"Are you going to try to kill him?"

"Of course." Katsu didn't even cringe from his words' monstrous meaning. His words and Kyo's reaction to it didn't bother him in the least. He continued, "He was sentenced for fifteen years. I can't wait that long. My time is running out."

"So you kidnap me so you can get into jail and kill your brother's murder?"

Katsu nodded. "But that doesn't matter anymore. I can't hurt you. I will release you tomorrow just don't tell anybody what I said."

"I will pretend to be your hostage."

Katsu snapped his head up so fast that he almost got whiplash. "What did you just say?"

Kyo wasn't a man foreign in striking deals. After all, he had made one that sealed his fate but maybe he could create another one to negate it.

"I will pretend to be your hostage," Kyo sat up and leaned against the rail of the bed and looked Katsu dead in the eye. "But only under one condition."

Beneath all the compassion and mercy, Kyo knew this man had an inner rage that was ready to erupt. He was a monster that wanted to kill. But Kyo will make a compact with him anyway, because monsters had to stick together.

* * *

A/N: Thank you so much to those who reviewed! I really appreciate it. I hope you guys will continue to support me by reviewing/favoriting/ following. I know this isn't my best chapter, but I'll try harder. Writer's block is kind of affecting me now.

So, some of you might be thinking what are the meanings for the title of chapter 1 and 3. Sicilian Defence is an opening chess move usually performed by the whites pieces. Alapin Variation is a response to the Sicilian Defence that is performed by the black pieces. These are one of the most popular moves and chess openings and idealized by many chess grandmasters.

Sorry if the grammar is off. I'm doing this at a late hour so my mother wont catch me.

Please R&R. Reviews inspire me and make me happy. No flames please. Critiques are always welcomed.

4/27/2013


	4. Chapter 4 Shaking Hands - Temporary

Chapter 4. Shaking Hands

Interesting. Interesting, indeed. Here he was listening to a proposal that should have never been placed on the table in the first place. It was his fault, actually. He miscalculated the movements of his pawns, now he had to endure the help from a supposed enemy. Though there was one thing that he learned from his mistake. This wasn't some normal kid that he swiped off the streets. Instead of babbling with relief on release, he wanted to stick to him and use him. His audacity was off the charts and maybe even admirable.

"Oh, and what condition would that be?"

"You give me all the money that you collect from my family."

Katsu arched his eyebrows in a mixture of confusion but there was a touch of impressment somewhere between all the creasing. The request was simple, really. He could easily agree to the boy, after all, he wouldn't be in need of it when he would be locked down in solitary confinement.

With a flick of his wrist, he noted blandly. "You don't look like the greedy type."

"You don't look like the murdering type either." Kyo rebounded back just as quickly. "I need it for something."

"And what would that something be?" In all honesty, his mind had already agreed to the boy's wants. But he wanted some listed bullets from the boy to sedate himself.

Kyo shrugged his shoulder, seeming to not mind the deeper divulge into his should be own personal usage.

"I need to run away from this hellhole."

Katsu snorted. Great, this kid had parental issues. The gesture of exasperation was quick to rifle up Kyo. The solemnity of Kyo's situation was obviously not understood by an outsider that stood outside the zodiac. Living with Akito would only cause him lacerating pain that would only wind down to a horrific expiration of his existence.

"You don't know me." Eyes narrowed, Kyo spat, "The head of my family will kill me by the end of this year."

Kyo might have colored it a deeper shade than it was but he sought it was deemed perfect. He had to sprinkle the sadistic nature of Akito somewhere and let it be known by his kidnapper.

Ridiculing thoughts instantly stopped riffling around in Katsu's head at Kyo's words. His words were too sublime for Katsu's taste. He didn't like it. "Don't lie to me."

"I'm not." Kyo gave him a hard look and if possible leaned even closer to him. The rails that Kyo leaned against whined in protest but Kyo ignored it.

"Then," Katsu straddled the chair again. "Humor me."

"You could say it's tradition." Kyo leaned back as the scent of absinthe wafted off of Katsu's presence. It was a scent that Kyo was far from finding fond. "Within our family there are fourteen people who are born that will each hold a burden of …certain attributes. Of those fourteen people, one is the master of us all – he controls us."

"What attributes are you referring to?"

"I can't tell you that." Surprisingly, Katsu took Kyo's narrowed platform of information quite well. He just nodded and made an indication for him to continue. "So, you can say that I hold the worst attributes and, because of that, I was sealed with the fate of death."

Kyo felt odd. Panic did not overcome him like it should be when he was so nonchalantly setting the parallels of their family's curse. He felt like he was telling a faint story dashed with some silver fairytale dust.

"These attributes can't be corrected?" Katsu was giving Kyo a look that almost seemed as if he cared about his condition. Who knows, maybe he does. Internally, Kyo laughed. The first time he received even a touch of care, it was from his kidnapper.

"My fate was sealed the day I was born."

* * *

A/N: I'm so sorry that I haven't updated this story in so long. Rest assure, this isn't the whole version of chapter four. It's just that I felt bad for not updating this for so long that I decided to give you a little 'treat' per se. I haven't been feeling inspired as of late thus I haven't really been writing.

Once I do feel inspired (hopefully, soon), I will complete chapter four and post it. I will take this down, and replace it with the completed chapter.  
I might change the content of this chapter (I might change the plot a little too) a little since I don't really like this chapter too much either.

If you like "Checkmate" then you might like my other story "Hostage". Kyo also gets kidnapped in there as well though the scenario is slightly different. 

Please R&R. Reviews inspire me and make me happy. No flames please. Constructive criticisms are always accepted with open arms.

Once again, I apologize. I hope you enjoyed this even with its brevity.

6/21/2013


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